Lori Feldman-Winter, M.D., MPH,

BreastFeeding Your Infant

Breast feeding offers many benefits to your baby. Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients to help your infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler. Some of the nutrients in breast milk also help protect your infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections. It may also help your health. Certain types of cancer may occur less often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.

Women who don't have health problems should try to give their babies breast milk for at least the first six months of life. There are some cases when it's better not to breast feed. If you have HIV or active tuberculosis, you should not breast feed because you could give the infection to your baby. Certain medicines, illegal drugs, and alcohol can also pass through the breast milk and cause harm to your baby.

Dr.Lori Feldman-Winter, M.D., MPH, comes on the show to discuss the benefits and research behind the push to breastfeed your infant.

Lori Feldman-Winter, M.D., MPH, is Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the Division Head of Adolescent Medicine at The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ. She is Board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Dr Feldman-Winter is recognized for her work related to breastfeeding education programs and nutrition policy. Her research focuses on infant feeding practices, obesity prevention, general nutrition, and physician education. She is an inaugural Fellow of the ABM and has been a member since 1997. She is also a member of the executive committee of the AAP Section on Breastfeeding and is Project Director for the AAP Residency Curriculum Project for Breastfeeding.

Melanie Cole, M.S.

1 / 27 / 2010